Self-improvement workshop planned

‘The Bigger Game’ at Silver Bay May 9-12

Rick Tamlyn will bring his program to the Silver Bay YMCA when he presents his first “Bigger Game Expo” May 9-12. The interactive event will include speakers, panel discussions, exercises and small group exchanges.

continued  The opening ceremony will feature Alice Coles of Bayview, Va. Coles, without any formal training, led an effort to improve her community, which was formed by freed slaves following the Civil War.

Coles invited civil rights officials to visit in an attempt to generate some publicity -- and it worked. Finding “inhumane conditions,” the visiting officials said the people of Bayview were victims “of a modern day apartheid system” and “still living in the days of slavery.”

Suddenly politicians and an army of state and federal officials descended upon Bayview offering money. Since 1998, Virginia has committed $4 million dollars and various federal agencies have added over $4 million more. In all, Bayview has raised $10 million dollars from 32 separate state, federal and private sources.

Coles, who was featured on the CBS News program “60 Minutes,” is a ‘Bigger Game’ player, Tamlyn said.

“She saw her community and realized things weren’t OK,” he said of Coles. “She stepped up to the plate and revitalized her community. She had no resources, no education, but she had a level of responsibility and consciousness.”

The keynote address will be delivered by Lynne Twist, a global activist, fund raiser, speaker, consultant and author. She has devoted her life to eradicating hunger and poverty, global stainability, human rights and economic justice. Her talk is titled “The Power of Taking a Stand/Living a Committed Life.”

“I think this is a wonderful opportunity for our community,” Matt Courtright, chamber executive director, said. “I think many people already use ‘The Bigger Game’ without even realizing it, but here’s a chance to experience the program and learn to use it to improve our lives, businesses and communities.”

Tamlyn expects more than 125 people from seven countries to attend the Silver Bay expo.

The “Bigger Game Expo” will feature 15 speakers, including Coles, Twist, Mary McDonough, who played Erin on the “Waltons” TV show, health and wellness expert Dr. Carol Ann Malizia, and inspirationist Charles Holt.

Tamlyn, who is affiliated with Hay House, an international group of self-help professionals, co-created “The Bigger Game” in 2001 as a way to inspire executives, leaders, and individuals to get out of their comfort zones and invent the life they want.

“This leadership and personal development tool takes nine minutes to learn, and a lifetime to master,” Tamlyn said. “The concept has caught the eye of Fortune 100 companies, non-profits, churches, groups and individuals around the world.”